Diners tuck into meals just inches away from a huge lion at this bizarre restaurant.

Three-year-old Simba sits on a rock inside a glass enclosure at the Lion Hot Pot BBQ restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The big cat, who is still two years from his prime, watches through the full-length window as locals tuck into all-you-can-eat hot pots with meat, seafood, vegetables and noodles.

Many customers also pose for pictures in front of the glass while waitresses keep the predator entertained.

The Chinese owner, Qixiao, said they have raised Simba since he was a newborn cub and he is happily living at the restaurant.

Qixiao said: 'Simba loves his home and we take good care of him. The customers also love him. I brought him here myself. He's one of the family.'

Keeping lions at bars, restaurants and cafes has become a trend in recent years in Asia.

In June this year, it emerged that a cafe in Nonthaburi province on the outskirts of Bangkok in Thailand had a three-month-old lion cub prowling around the business.

Staff at the Sedthi Dubai Cafe said the interactions with the lion cub named Nampetch are closely monitored by the caretakers but they had no plans to keep the apex predator until he becomes a fully-grown killer.

They said Nampetch was bought from a 'farm' for around 700,000 THB (20,500 USD). Aside from Nampetch, there are also other exotic animals to befriend at the cafe, like caracals, a Devon Rex cat, a six-month-old lion cub named Leah, and a squirrel monkey named Abu after the simian character from Disney classic Aladdin.

Another entertainment venue using baby lions is a bar on the Sukhumvit Soi 4 red-light strip of Bangkok. Footage taken by a concerened customer shows the cat kept in an enclosure surrounded by neon lights.